Gaye Levy
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When I first started prepping, I was totally engrossed in learning as much as I could about survival tactics from the Great Depression. For one reason or another, I have renewed this interest and have been spending my spare time reading books as well as watching some of the classic films and documentaries that depict the era.
Something I have learned is that women of the era were creative in the kitchen and took dibs and dabs of this and that and in order to create tasty meals as best they could. That said, it wasn’t until the 50’s that the ubiquitous tuna casserole came into prominence, most likely due to the ease of preparation using pantry staples. On the other hand, meals created from pasta or potatoes plus a vegetable and a scrap of meat were quite common during the Great Depression.
Bringing things forward to the 21st century, I like to prepare what I call “Survival Casserole”. This is my amalgamation of the lean pantries of the Depression coupled with the casserole mania of the 50th.
With that introduction, today I share how to make a survival casserole that is easy, delicious, and a cinch to make with items in your preparedness pantry.
Survival Casserole is Not Your Mama’s Tuna Casserole
The inspiration for the Survival Casserole that I am sharing today was the book Clara’s Kitchen: Wisdom, Memories, and Recipes from the Great Depression which I reviewed in the article Depression Cooking: A Visit to Clara’s Kitchen. Taking a hint from Clara, I not only use existing pantry items, but also odds and ends of leftover items that are hanging out in the refrigerator or on the counter.
This is good, wholesome food that is also filling, tasty and budget friendly. While it is similar to the ubiquitous tuna casserole our mothers and grandmothers made in the 50’s and 60’s, it is not your mama’s tuna casserole. How long has it been since you have had this comfort food from days gone by? I know that I hadn’t even thought about it for years.
Survival Casserole
Ingredients:
1 package of dried pasta; typically a pound
1 can of tuna or canned chicken; can be doubled (see note below about tuna)
1 can condensed cream soup; mushroom or chicken; can be doubled
1 cup shredded or crumbled cheddar or other type of cheese (reserve half for the topping)
Odd and ends of leftovers from your refrigerator or pantryTopping:
Breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs, depending on what you have on hand
Directions:
Cook the pasta. The exact amount does not matter. I happen to like whole wheat spaghetti so that is what I use. Also, I have made this casserole using less than a full package and more than a full package. This allows for flexibility to use whatever you happen to have on hand.
Grease the inside of a 9 x 13 baking pan, 12” cast iron skillet, Dutch oven with cooking oil, coconut oil, or some other fat.
Preheat your cooking source to about 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients, holding back half of the cheese.
Mix well, then pour into your pan. Sprinkle the remaining cheese plus the breadcrumbs or crushed crackers over the top.
Bake for about 25 minutes until bubbly.
This is the basic recipe but as I indicated earlier, it is very flexible. Let me share a few of my personal notes.
I have made this using cheese right out of the refrigerator as well as rehydrated, freeze dried cheese from cans in my food storage. The taste is the same. I have also used rice instead of pasta, a combination of cheeses, and have added a few hefty shakes of Tabasco or other hot sauce for flavor and bite. On occasion, I have added a can of peas or a can or corn (thanks, Clara!), although most frequently I use leftover cooked broccoli.
Whatever I do, I can not seem to ruin my Survival Casserole. It is always tasty and filling.
A Word About Canned Tuna
Whether you choose to consume canned tuna is up to you and a matter of preference.
Although I still have a dozen or so cans of tuna left from the pre-Fukushima days, my canned tuna eating days are almost over. In spite of what the so-called officials say, I believe the likelihood and risk of radioactive waste contaminating our seafood is too great for my way of thinking. Luckily, I find canned chicken to be a great alternative. In addition, it is readily available at a reasonable price.
What you do is your own personal business but for me Pacific seafood of any type is off the plate, so to speak. I simply do not want to chance it.
3 Tips to Remember from the Great Depression
There are three takeaways from reading and studying depression era cookbooks:
Keep things simple using a few ingredients as possible
Prepare one-pot meals that can be cooked in the oven, on the stove top, or in an outdoor cooker
Insure that the meal is budget friendly so that you can feed a houseful without breaking the budget
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The Final Word
Prepping is not always about preparing for a SHTF situation. Instead, survival means being prepared for the small bumps in the daily road of life. Some days, actually many days, that road is a rocky one.
Sometimes the budget is tight due to raising prices, unexpected bills, loss of income or all three. Other times there are hungry mouths to feed but no time to shop, or the grid is down due to a winter storm.
Whatever the reason, it can be fun to mix a bit of pasta, protein and canned soup to come up with your own special creation and call it “Survival Casserole”. Have fun with the idea of creating unique, budget friendly casseroles that are different each time your make them.
In the meantime, if you already have your own special casserole recipe or even fond memories of times gone by, be sure to share in the comments below.
Enjoy your next adventure through common sense and thoughtful preparation!
Gaye
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I put some thought into the things I would want to have if or when there is another Great Depression. These are all items I currently own.
Cast Iron Skillet with Hot Handle Holder: I feel that everyone should own a basic, 12” cast iron skillet. In spite of the myth, they are easy to care for and over time, will become a family heirloom. On grid or off grid, cooking with cast iron is the way to go.
The Ringer Cast Iron Cleaner – Stainless Steel Chainmail: I purchased one of these in October and it is friggin’ fantastic. You will never ever have to scrub cast iron again. I can’t say enough good things about this gizmo. You want one (and I definitely need to do a review).
Growing Up in the Great Depression: If you liked Clara’s Kitchen, you are going to love this book. Written by 93 year old Delores Mixer, learn about her life growing up during the Great Depression. The ways that she and her brother contributed to the family “kitty” are ingenious. (Going to the Ice Warehouse, picking up pieces that fell off the ramp, then selling them to neighbors for a few cents a chunk – that is just one example.)
Clara’s Kitchen: Wisdom, Memories, and Recipes from the Great Depression: If you don’t know about Clara, be sure to read Depression Cooking: A Visit to Clara’s Kitchen.
Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking: At an average cost of 50 cents a loaf, this bread is easy, delicious and inexpensive to make. Making your own bread is a skill everyone should have.
Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day: 100 New Recipes Featuring Whole Grains, Fruits, Vegetables, and Gluten-Free Ingredients: Ditto.
How to Live on Wheat: Everything you need to know about wheat.
Morakniv Craftline Q Allround Fixed Blade Utility Knife: Also known as the Mora 511, this is now my favorite knife. It is made of Swedish steel and is super sharp. Many Backdoor Survival have emailed me indicating this is now their favorite knife too.
Kershaw OSO Sweet Knife: This “oh so sweet” knife is a solidly built, stainless steel knife that comes razor sharp right out of the package. It will pretty much cut through anything the price is amazing.
Emergency Mylar Thermal Blankets (Pack of 10): I do believe in helping my neighbors in the community so a supply of these will be handy to hand out to those in need. You will be surprised at how warm these will keep you. Be sure to test one out in advance so that you have the confidence to trust the blanket in an emergency.
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38 Responses to “How to Make a Survival Casserole”
When we were small my dad lost his job. Here’s what Mom would make to keep us filled up for dinner. Not sure of the exact measurement of the cooked rice but it would fill the Large Pyrex mixing bowl, 2 Cans of chicken gumbo soup mixed in, If we had cheese, she would add that to the rice mixture and bake in 350 Degree oven til it was hot and the cheese was all melted. If we had bits of veggies or meat(rarely)left over from a previous meal it would be added to the Slumgullion as she called it. With 7 to feed, I learned a lot about how my parents grew up during the Depression from the foods we ate when Pop lost his job back in the 50’s. I’ve taught both my sons how to cook from scratch and they’ve come up with some very interesting dishes, just by “creating”. Yep, Both of their wives are VERY glad I taught the boys to cook (and clan, sew) 😉
I used to do this too, just add as much rice as I could to whatever soup I had on had (our favorite was cream of celery!), a little salt and pepper and maybe some cheese. We just called it “ricey soup”. The kids loved it, and still talk about it… “remember when we were “poor”, Mom, and would eat ricey soup?”… And if I didn’t have rice, it was noodles, then called noodley soup! Yum! Still have it from time to time when I’m hungry 🙂
One comfort casserole that I have making for over 30 years combines ground beef, minced onions and celery,( I have also added cabbage and /or zucchini depending on whats available.) These are mixed with a pound of cooked noodles, a can of cream of tomato soup, a dash of tabasco, salt and pepper and whatever cheese you like ( I usually use about a cup of cheddar. The above are combined, sprinkled with another bit of cheese and baked at 350 until browned and bubbly. The original recipe called for 1/2 cup green olives- I like black olives better. The seasoning can of course be varied to your taste. This is a nice, filling casserole ands there are never any leftovers.
My mother would make what she called “GARBAGE” out of leftovers.
It was always good and never the same twice. Raising 4 children
I also made “GARBAGE” and no leftover became that toxic mess in the refrigerator.
You do have to be adventurous and able to dump fearlessly. I think a cast iron
skillet helps too. My children loved it.
We do something similar only we make GARBAGE soup. We accumulate leftovers of all types in the freezer then periodically gather them and add to a pot of homemade chicken or turkey stock. I must admit it is strange to see spaghetti and meatballs in my soup.
Boy – I thought I was the only one who made “Garbage Soup”. I did this back when I had four large hungry boys and very little money. As long as it was thick & tasty, they didn’t question what was in it. Different spice/herb combos help a lot.
I grew up on garbage soup. Both my mother and step-mother made it. Also the ever-changing Friday night casserole made up of whatever leftovers happened to be in the fridge from the week, mixed with rice or pasta and any appropriate seasonings/liquids. Although (unlike my mother and step-mother) I did not grow up with wartime rationing, I do the same today – both garbage soup and mystery casserole.
Another favourite recently discovered: we cannot get tinned tamales in Canada, and I tried them when visiting a friend in the US and loved them. So now whenever I visit the States by car, I stock up on many tins of tamales. When I need a quick meal I open a tin and chop up the tamales into bite sized pieces, add a tin of sweet corn (I save the drained liquid for garbage soup), about 1/3 jar of mild salsa, and quite a lot of shredded sharp cheddar cheese. So yummy, it is very hard not to eat the whole thing in one sitting!
Here’s what Italians eat on the cheap using all pantry items.
1 lb. small soup pasta
48 oz. can chopped tomatoes
1 carton chicken broth
2 qt. water
Two dashes liguid smoke
2 15 oz. cans small white beans
4 T. Chopped dehydrated onion
Garlic powder, dried oregano, dried basil and S & P to taste
Optional: canned spinach drained
After cooking,
Enjoy a bowl topped w/ parm. cheese if wanted.
Also super quick no cook pantry meal from college days,
1 can black beans
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 can drained corn
1/2 pack taco mix
Stir it up, eat it up!
You’d be surprised how good this is!
College kids used to call it international stew!
Jo
Jo, this looks delicious. An even quicker meal that I enjoyed when visiting Rome years ago on a student budget was even quicker and easier. Eating at a sidewalk restaurant on a June evening, sipping a glass of CHEAP white wine, this is one of my favorite memories
Ingredients:
Spaghetti
Butter
Grated cheese
Crushed red pepper flakes
Frozen peas—I pour the amount of peas I need into the cooking water for the last 2 minutes I am cooking spaghetti.
Cook spaghetti to there is still some bite to it. Toss with butter, grated cheese and cooked peas. Sprinkle red pepper flakes. Salt and pepper to taste. Eat and serve.
My son spent a semester in Rome. He said he ate this 1-2 times per week, or whenever he had no other food in the house.
Mangia, y’all.
My son studied in Rome about 10 years ago, and said he ate this at least 1-2 times per week, or whenever funds were tight.
Thank you so much for recommending Ted Koppel’s book, “Lights Out”. I’m telling my pepper friends about it. I have purchased several books you have reviewed. Keep up the good work.
This recipe brings back great memories! I grew up on tuna casserole. My girls did too! It’s actually a very economical meal and would be great to store the items in our food storage. I love this recipe! Thank you, Gaye!
I recently made a very similar casserole. It had pasta (short spaghetti), tuna, cream of mushroom soup, onions (could have used dehydrated), and peas (again, could have used dehydrated), no cheese. I like to find ways to add vegetables however and whenever I can.
It’s good to know about the cheeses, my goat cheese isn’t real popular by itself so I’m going to try this and mix goat cheese with some cheese powder. Thank You!
Oh gosh, I had to giggle a little at this. My 91 year old grandma gave me a recipe similar to this that she would feed to her six sons when they were little. They loved it and we love it now. I will have to try your version! Thanks!
Wow! Usually, I don’t spend much time in my life reading food recipes. However, you got me looking at your “Survival Casserole” by mentioning “Mama’s Tuna Dish”… because I CRAVED Mom’s tuna casserole all through my kidlet years.
Then, when I read the ingredients for your “Survival Casserole”… OMG! I realized that I’ve actually got all the ingredients! Which also means that I’ve found a new way to eat some of that Costco canned chicken! What a dream come true! (Er… that’s probably more a bachelor’s culinary delight, eh?)
Now I am blushing . . . LOL
— Gaye